Route 27 Work Begins, Delays Ensue

Montauk Highway resurfacing in East Hampton Village resumed on Thursday morning after a delay due to an interruption in the asphalt supply.
David E. Rattray

Montauk Highway roadwork, set to resume as pre-summer laborer and delivery traffic reaches its peak, will slow drivers through East Hampton Village until at least May 20, a spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Transportation said.

Long tie-ups are possible between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. during lane closures, according to Eileen Peters, a public information officer for the Department of Transportation’s Region 10.

Additionally, Ms. Peters said this week that an agreement with the contractor allowed its workers to close Woods Lane in both directions from Toilsome Lane to Main Street during the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. window. Traffic will be detoured onto Toilsome, Buell, and Race Lanes while the project is under way.

The resurfacing of the badly potholed and cracked roadway had been set to take place in thefall but was put off after Hurricane Sandy struck the region on Oct. 29. Department of Transportation roadwork the length of Long Island was suspended to keep all lanes open for the removal of debris and rebuilding efforts, Ms. Peters said.

According to a press release from the Department of Transportation, a 2.3-mile-long section of Montauk Highway between Stephen Hand’s Path and Buell Lane is to be replaced. Workers diverted traffic briefly beginning last week while the old surface was ground up and removed to be stored for eventual recycling, Ms. Peters said. During the first phase of the project, eastbound morning traffic was bumper to bumper nearly to Bridgehampton as early as 8 a.m.

Drivers were advised in the release to use alternate routes through the area.

Ms. Peters said that the best way to avoid the potential bottleneck, especially during the period when Woods Lane was to be closed, was to try to get through the area eastbound or westbound by 7:30 a.m.

“It’s several weeks of inconvenience,” she said. “It is going to be a big improvement, with a fresh, safe, smooth road.”

“I tell people to try to focus on the end result,” she said.

Looking toward the fall, Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. has been among a group of public officials who have been pressing the Department of Transportation for a $12.5 million project to repair a separate section of Montauk Highway, from County Road 39 in Southampton to Stephen Hand’s Path.

They made their initial pitch for the funding in a letter co-signed by local mayors and town supervisors, as well as Representative Tim Bishop, State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, and County Legislator Jay Schneiderman. Barring another hurricane, Mr. Thiele’s office said last month, the work would begin after Labor Day, if the money is added to the state’s transportation improvement plan, as expected.